Another plein air from Moab - along Hwy 128

Road to Professor Creek - 9x18"
pastel on UArt #600 paper, toned with gray acrylic wash

Another Moab area plein air landscape - the last one I did during my week there.  It was done last Saturday afternoon, with the 4CPAP group.  One of our members, Carolyn, who lives in Moab, arranged a weekend paint-out that happened to coincide with PleinAir Moab.

I have waited a year to do this painting.  At last years' PleinAir Moab, I took a photo of this same view, in the afternoon light, and had thought I might do it as a studio piece, because I was completely captivated by the view - plus, there's The Road.   This location is about 20 miles east of the Hwy 191 junction with Hwy 128, in an area known as Professor Valley.  I discovered last year that this dirt road, which dead-ends after less than 3 miles, takes one to some incredibly scenic views of Professor Creek.  Incredibly, no one, especially painters, seems to know about this place (although Deb from our 4C group now does)!   As a plein air painter, there is much to be gained by taking the road less traveled...I will be back for more next year.

At any rate, I'm glad I waited to do this piece on location; photos just don't do any justice to what you see as you stand there, taking it all in.  Also, the storm that swamped the entire region on Friday provided a gift:  the snow on the La Sals, which is like icing on the cake.  And, the lingering clouds obscuring part of the mountain let me have some fun with edges again.  

I had been reviewing the photos I took last year prior to this year's trip, experimenting with various crops, to help me decide what locations to return to, and determined this worked beautifully as a 1:2 format.   It's on a non-standard size, something I'd not use for a plein air competition because it would require matting.  

Anyway, I got most of it finished in the two hour window I had available, and was finally able to finish it up today.  I actually had Wayne drop me off here while he went and explored nearby Castle Valley and further east along Hwy 128 past the Fisher Towers.  It probably made for a curious sight for drivers to see a painter standing there, essentially in the middle of nowhere, with no vehicle or form of transportation nearby.   

A Trip to Cedar Mesa, UT

A brief intermission from the winter and snow scenes in CO to bring you a southern Utah landscape with large rocks and a road...

In The Valley of the Gods
9x18 inches - pastel on construction paper
© 2012, S.Johnson

So, this is the painting that would have been my plein air painting, if the timing had been different.  I started it on Friday and it languished on my easel for a few days.  Unlike the recent snow scenes I've been doing, this one did not come together quickly.

On Thursday morning, we headed out for one of our favorite destinations in southern Utah:  Comb Ridge and Butler Wash.  The plan was to hike to a few ruins and petroglyph sites listed in a guidebook and then find a good location in the early afternoon where I could do a plein air painting.

Alas, it didn't happen.  The guidebook we brought to find the particular ruins (called Double Stack ruin) was so vague in its description of the route that we never found them.   Trying to find such hidden archaelogical treasures is really difficult without a GPS and reliable beta.  So, we spent far longer hiking up Comb Ridge than we'd planned, and by then, it was too late to start any painting.

But, that was a minor setback in the scheme of the trip.  Instead of risking more disappointments from said guidebook, we decided to head west along the highway and check out the BLM area known as Valley of the Gods.  Not to be confused with the Garden of the Gods, which is near Colorado Springs, this area forms what is essentially the southern edge of the Cedar Mesa.  A 17-mile loop drive on a dirt road takes you through the valley and past countless buttes, spires and amazing balanced rock formations.

If these eroded structures look similar to Monument Valley, that's because it is about 25 miles to the southwest.  Probably the same sedimentary rock, but I cannot confirm this.

Anyway, here are a few of the photos from the hike up Butler Wash.

First stop is the Wolfman petroglyph panel* - a short hike takes you to these remarkable examples of rock art.  They can be seen from several hundred feet away:

You would need a ladder to reach these.  Aren't these designs beautiful?  So precise and symmetrical - these were artists who were clearly skilled and took pride in their work.  I've often thought about how fascinating it would be to travel back 1400 years and meet the creators.

Another section with a central animal figure (it looks like an owl to me), a botanical design and maybe a staff of some sort?  

Why I love abstract art:  interpretation is up to the viewer

This makes me smile; I like to think this figure is doing a Happy Dance

Next stop: a side canyon creek in Comb Ridge...frozen solid

  No ruins to be found!

Obligatory abstract image:  detail of ice from creek

Trapped air or crystal formation?  I'm not sure, but I love the patterns created.

*Editorial note:  readers will be disappointed if visiting the Wolfman petroglyph to see that doesn't look quite like the photo - several bullet holes from vandals deface the surrounding rock facade and some of the actual art.  Sad, but true.  I opted to edit them out as best I could, since they are ugly and shouldn't be there to begin with.